So recently I attended a Praise & Worship seminar and one of the topics was titled Freedom in Worship. The speaker said that there are two kinds of freedom: from the world and from God. The worlds freedom tells you are free to do anything you want to do. God’s definition of freedom is in Galatians 5:13-14, Romans 6:22, and some other verses. I was also reminded of the verse, Anyone who sins is a slave to sin. So it means that anyone is not free indeed but one can find freedom in Christ. But how is that freedom if you are still told to do something?

I heard it said before “True freedom is not the freedom to do anything we feel like doing, but the freedom to do what is right.”

Technically, we can’t be master-less, but we have the freedom to choose our master, satan or God, which is what Gal 5 and Rom 6 that you pointed out implied. If we are master-less, that’s automatically the sin of self-autonomy presented by the serpent, the sin of the first fall, where we make ourselves “like God, knowing(deciding for ourselves) good and evil” -Gen 3:5.

Ultimately, when we are bound to the flesh, it is to indulge our selfish and personal sinful desires. But when we bind ourselves to God, it is not for God’s sake, but for our best interest and everyone else around us (Jesus as the true vine in John 15).

And good freedom has to be well-fenced by God, for our own protection. In RZIM Asia Founders this year, I heard Abdu Murray told a story of how it is only responsible as parents, when building a playground in his backyard to put a fence around it, so his kids will not endanger themselves by running “freely” into the road, even if his kids feel the fences are so restrictive.

In Os Guinness book, “Last Call for Liberty: How America’s Genius for Freedom Has Become its Greatest Threat”, he wrote on how to define freedom as increased capacity, not decreased restraint and why freedom requires virtue. It is a recommended read.

Hope that gives you some solid framework to understand the essence of true freedom.

Such a great question. Ravi and Os Guinness do such a great job with the question in a presentation made a few years ago in Atlanta GA. Check it out: https://youtu.be/Lo8vZU_p2aY. It is about 90 minutes but you get to hear from both. A shorter one would Os’s at: https://youtu.be/142vz6BcBfQ. Seek and you will find. God bless.

This is such a good question, and @RoySujanto and @Keldon_Scott brought in good points. The playground analogy Roy shared is quite powerful. It’s probably in many places, although I first encountered it in Abdu Murray’s book Saving Truth. You may enjoy the read.

In Saving Truth, Abdu Murray clarifies between freedom from vs. freedom for. When we think of “freedom from” we think of measures to alleviate poverty, to protect from dangerous criminals, etc. However, “freedom from” is often grounded in fear of things that can go wrong. “Freedom for” gives us hope for a future and can satisfy that inner whispering within our hearts life is meant to have meaning.

Perhaps our flesh longs for a “freedom from,” while the concept of being made in the image of God causes us to long more for “freedom for.” However, we have to ultimately turn to God for satisfaction of our longing for “freedom for”. @SeanO shared this resource on C.S. Lewis’ concept of sehnsucht, or “forward-facing nostalgia.”

“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

We are given “freedom for” to give glory to God. While we can do that on earth, ultimately, we will fully experience this goodness in heaven. This Ask Away podcast touches on how the God of the universe, who is loving and just and pure, welcomes us into His presence to give Him glory and how uplifting it is even for us humans to be given the freedom and satisfaction of glorifying God for eternity. So, while we can have a taste of freedom here on earth, we will ultimately be able to experience and understand it fully in heaven.

If we only live for “freedom from” we could give up the opportunity for “freedom for.” A few weeks ago in church, the sermon was on Acts 12. All of the characters of Acts 12 claimed allegiance to something, and each paid a price for the allegiance. The question was whether that price had any meaning. The people of Tyre and Sidon were pragmatic to get resources from Herod to live comfortably (“freedom from”) and flattered Herod, naming him a god. By doing so, they gave up the opportunity to live for the satisfying “freedom for” of glorifying God. Herod tried to make his “freedom for” only for self-glorification, and he was eaten by worms. James gave up his “freedom from” death to in turn have eternal “freedom for” glorifying God. Peter was freed from prison but continued to preach Christ, which would ultimately lead to his death.

Although I haven’t read it yet myself, this quote from Jesus Among Secular Gods is a neat description of the freedom we have in Christ. There’s a book study going on right now here on Connect, I think.

Christians often speak about how Jesus died so that we would not have to. That is absolutely true. But just as true is that Jesus died so that we might find in Him the courage to lay down our lives for others the way He has laid down His life for us.

And good freedom has to be well-fenced by God, for our own protection.

When in college for teaching, we were taught that an experiment was done for playground design. Children with a playground which had no fence or visible boundary stayed close to the school, even though the playground was very large. Then, when a fence was put up, those same children played freely using the entire playground, right up to the fence.

Knowing the fence (boundaries) was there allowed them the freedom to utilize fully what was already available for their use.

I hope I didn’t miss it, but I don’t think this was already said. I also heard Adbu Murray say “Freedom is the ability to do what you want, in accordance with what you should, based on who you are”. (hope that’s accurate, if not, please correct me).

I love that! For me, it perfectly sums up the Christian faith! It’s only “in Christ” we find our true identity, learning just who we’re meant to be, while at the same time and continuously being transformed from the inside out by the Word of His Grace, having God’s desires replace our own, and walking out that new identity in the strength of the All-Sufficient One!